DBs in Spurs

Dimitar Berbatov

Bulgarian hitman maintained his fine form in front of goal in his second season at the club in 2007-08 - his performances captured perfectly when he coolly slotted home from the penalty spot in the League Cup Final at Wembley.

'Berba' scored 23 goals in 52 appearances in all competitions, matching his total of last season - his partnership with Robbie Keane again one of the most lethal around.

Named Bulgarian Player of the Year in 2002, 2004 and 2005 and 2007, Dimitar joined us from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen at the start of the 2006-07 season. A regular at the top of the Bundesliga goalscoring charts, he also helped Bayer to the final of the Champions League in 2002.

His first season in English football proved to be an extremely productive one, with the striker netting 23 goals. He was named in the PFA Team of the Season and won the Player of the Season award from the Spurs Members.

A regular goalscorer for Bulgaria, his goals just missed out on helping his country to the European Championship finals in the summer of 2008.

Darren Bent

A strong, pacy forward, Darren joined us from Charlton Athletic in the summer of 2007.
He arrived at the Lane after making 77 appearances for the Valley side in which he scored 37 goals in all competitions during his two-year spell in South London.

He began his career as a trainee at Ipswich Town, where he made 141 appearances and scored 55 goals. Found the prolific Berbatov/Keane partnership - 46 goals between them in 2007-08 - a tough nut to crack in terms of forcing his way into the starting line-up in his first season at the Lane but still scored nine goals in 36 appearances, including six league goals.

David Bentley

The London-born player won his first full England cap against Uruguay in March, 2006 and took his tally to three caps in the ill-fated World Cup qualifier against Croatia at Wembley in November, 2007.

The England international made 133 appearances for the Ewood Park side - scoring 21 goals - after initially joining on loan from Arsenal in August 2005, the move being made permanent in January 2006.

David is a product of the academy at Arsenal and made nine first-team appearances for the Gunners, spending a season on-loan at Norwich City during his time there.

The 23-year-old has now won six senior England caps after previously representing his country at B, Under-21 and Under-20 level.

Source: www.tottenhamhotspur.com

David Bently

We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Blackburn Rovers for the transfer of David Bentley.

The England international made 133 appearances for the Ewood Park side - scoring 21 goals - after initially joining on loan from Arsenal in August 2005, the move being made permanent in January 2006.

The 23-year-old has now won six senior England caps after previously representing his country at B, Under-21 and Under-20 level.

Robbie Keane to Liverpool

The Club can announce that it has reached agreement with Liverpool FC for the transfer of Robbie Keane.

Speaking on the announcement of the transfer, Chairman Daniel Levy said: "I was incredibly disappointed when I first heard, not only that Liverpool had been working behind the scenes to bring Robbie to Anfield, but that Robbie himself wanted to go and he submitted a transfer request to this effect.

"I have already made my opinion clear on the nature of this transaction. I don't regard it as a transfer deal - that is something which happens between two clubs when they both agree to trade - this is very much an enforced sale, for which we have agreed a sum of £19m as compensation plus a potential further £1.3m in additional compensation."

Liverpool FC has also acknowledged that the way its website reported comments of its manager, which were widely covered by the media, was inappropriate and in light of that acknowledgement has apologised and agreed to make a donation to our Club's main charity, the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation. Tottenham Hotspur has therefore agreed not to pursue its official complaint to the Premier League.

Heurelho Gomes

We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with PSV Eindhoven for the transfer of Heurelho Gomes to the Club, subject to the player agreeing personal terms, passing a medical examination and obtaining his work permit.

Goalkeeper Gomes, 27, a Brazilian international, was an ever-present member of PSV's title-winning squad last season, when he conceded only 24 goals in 34 league games.
He made his name at Cruzeiro in Brazil, debuting in 2002 before securing his move to Europe and PSV in 2004.

Since then, he has won four Dutch titles in succession with PSV, reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2004-05.

Gomes will be no stranger to Spurs fans - he was outstanding in our UEFA Cup Round of 16 matches against PSV last season.

Giovani Dos Santos

We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Barcelona for the transfer of Giovani dos Santos to the Club, subject to a medical and agreeing personal terms.

The 19-year-old Mexico international made 28 senior appearances for the Catalan club last season, scoring three goals, after displaying his credentials in the B team, where he made 27 appearances and netted five times.

It was his performances playing for his country at the FIFA World Under-17 Championships in 2005 that caught the attention of the Nou Camp side.

Mexico emerged as winners in Peru and Giovani was named second best player in the tournament, while he was ranked in the top three players of the FIFA World Under-20 Championship staged in Canada in 2007.

He has since been capped on five occasions by the full Mexico national team.

Luka Modric

Tottenham have won the race to sign highly-rated Croatia midfielder Luka Modric for a fee believed to be £15.8million.

The Barclays Premier League club have agreed personal terms with the 22-year-old, who was reportedly courted by many of Europe's top sides, and he will leave Dinamo Zagreb for White Hart Lane this summer subject to him passing a medical.

Modric must also obtain a work permit but that will be a formality given his status as one of the continent's most coveted talents. After making his name in the Bosnian league as a teenager, Modric moved to Croatian club Inter Zapresic before joining Dinamo in 2005.

He made his debut for Croatia a year later and has gone on to win more than 20 caps for Slaven Bilic's side - including the home and away victories over England that cost the Three Lions their place at Euro 2008.

His silky, two-footed passing caught the eye in both the England clashes and reports linked him with possible transfers to the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and, most recently, Newcastle.

On Tuesday, Modric was reported to have been on Tyneside to discuss a move to St James' Park and visit the club's training ground. And Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan, speaking this week, made no secret of his admiration for a playmaker who was also thought to have been a target of Barcelona. "If you had a list of the midfield players around Europe who Newcastle could possibly attract, Luka Modric would be one of them," said Keegan. "I think he would be pretty much on everyone else's list as well because he is a fantastic prospect. "If you look at the midfield players who have a fantastic future, he would be one of them. But every other club in the league, from Arsenal and Manchester United, would like Modric."

The signing of Modric is a major coup for Spurs manager Juande Ramos and the Tottenham hierarchy, who needed to make a statement of intent after a hugely frustrating season for the north London club. Spurs were widely tipped to break the stranglehold of the big four before the current season began - most likely at the expense of bitter rivals Arsenal - but under former boss Martin Jol they made a disastrous start to fall way off the pace for even a UEFA Cup spot.

Since his arrival in October, Ramos has overseen a major improvement in fortunes, including a Carling Cup triumph which has guaranteed European football for next season. Spurs' season appeared to be fizzling out disappointingly with just a single win in their last seven league games, and a swingeing overhaul of the squad was predicted for this summer. But any discontent among supporters at the team's stuttering form is sure to be alleviated by the imminent arrival of Modric who appears certain to be one of several new arrivals at White Hart Lane over the coming months.